Research carried out by Google in association with the University of California, Berkeley has established that there are 1.9 billion usernames and passwords being traded on the black market. What’s more, as many of 25 percent of these stolen credentials could actually be used to access a legitimate Google account.
The report used Google’s proprietary data to investigate whether or not the pilfered passwords would unlock the door to working accounts, according to Business Insider. Unfortunately, it confirmed that this is definitely the case, reaffirming the importance of proper online security.
“Through a combination of password re-use across thousands of online services and targeted collection,” reads the study. “We estimated seven to 25 percent of stolen passwords in our dataset would enable an attacker to log in to a victim’s Google account and thus take over their online identity due to transitive trust.”
This is the danger of using the same password across multiple sites and services — if it’s exposed in one data breach, attackers might be able to combine it with known usernames or email accounts to access various different accounts.
We’ve seen plenty of breaches that left user passwords out in the open in recent years. In 2012, millions of encrypted LinkedIn passwords were leaked to the web, while we’re only just starting to understand the scope of an attack on Yahoo that took place in 2013 — in October, reports circulated that some 3 billion accounts were affected.
The researchers offer up a few different methods that people can use to protect their accounts from unauthorized access. For example, they might use a password manager that creates bespoke entry key for each individual site or service they visit, without them having to remember each one for themselves.
It’s also considered a best practice to employ two-factor authentication, especially for important accounts. This means that anyone gaining access from a new device also needs to provide a code that is typically sent to a smartphone, or an approved email account.
Of course, choosing a secure password is a good start. The top three passwords from plaintext leaks analyzed in this study were ‘123456,’ ‘password,’ and ‘123456789,’ none of which are particularly strong.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.